Sometimes dwelling far beyond the fringes of man's civilizations, sometimes prowling in our midst, sometimes summoned from other realms of existence, exist creatures beyond our understanding. Many are larger, stronger, and faster than us, able to tear us limb from limb or devour us alive. Others possess even darker abilities, able to shatter our fragile minds with otherworldly powers.

Some are beastfolk, cursed in a forgotten age to remain forever in a form that is half man, half animal. Others are hideous mockeries of nobler beings, bred by the Jötnar as minions for their war against the gods - the so-called Chaos Races. Still others are visitors or exiles from other realms of existence: terrifying and twisted demons or physical manifestations of the elements. Some are not even alive - animated or re-animated by the the arcane arts. And then there are those that defy explanation - mutants created by some foul magic long ago, or creatures older than the oldest legends, slumbering away the millennia in the darkest depths.

No matter what their story, men have one name for all of them: monsters.

Your challenge, should you choose to accept it, is to create a fearsome monster for the world of Wulfgard! You can do any of the following:

Design an all-new type of monster and describe its origins.

Design a sub-race or sub-culture of an existing type of monster.

Design a unique member of an existing monster race (like the dragon Sturmkrag, for instance) and tell his story.

All you need to do is provide at least one image of the monster and at least one written paragraph telling us about it, and post them both in a reply to this topic. That's it! But please keep reading for more rules and details.

The entry limit is two entries per person.

The current deadline for entries is JUNE 30.

Here are some additional rules and guidelines to consider. Feel free to ask questions, and the answers will be added to the FAQ below.

The visual representation of your monster must be your own work, but it can be made in any medium. You can draw a picture, create a 3D model, build a LEGO, or whatever! Just give us an image that shows what your monster looks like.

The written description should tell us about the monster's origins, abilities, and any background story you can provide.

Your monster should fit into the lore of Wulfgard, but don't let this intimidate you! Wulfgard lore is basically a combination of mythologies from the real world, plus some elements of popular fantasy. It shouldn't be hard to fit in almost any fantasy monster you can imagine without doing a ton of lore research. But to get started, check the wiki and look around. And feel free to ask questions here or in the Wulfgard Q&A topic!

FAQ: (open spoiler box to read)

Spoiler

Ambad asks: Is evolution present in the world of Wulfgard, if not yet discovered or generally recognized? Do species adapt to their environments slowly over time, or are they magically altered to fit them? Or were they created to fill their niche?

Answer: Yes, creatures can evolve and adapt to their environment over time, though of course people in Wulfgard wouldn't use modern terminology like "natural selection" to describe it. The elves, for example, were created by the Vanir (one of the pantheons of gods), but they began to adapt into the different elf races depending on their environment and other factors.

Dagoth asks: Can we do duos of races like one creating another or one being enslaved by another? Can said race come with an emblem?

Answer: No, each entry should be a single race, though you can describe your race as being enslaved by an existing Wulfgard monster in your write-up. And yes, you can certainly create an emblem for your monster, such as a tribal flag.

Your monster will be judged on how unique and interesting it is, the quality of the artwork (regardless of medium), and to some degree how well your monster fits into the Wulfgard lore. It is advised you browse through the Monsters category of the (still under construction) Wulfgard wiki before you start, or at least the categories linked in the intro paragraph to this contest above. Your monster does not need to fall under one of these categories and does not need to be based on mythology at all (in fact, for the purpose of this contest, it should be mostly original), but a little basis in mythology and the lore of Wulfgard will probably help your score.

Images should look clear and well-edited, and the story should be reasonably concise and interesting (and/or funny). Maverick-Werewolf and I will be judging, and we may also recruit volunteer judges from the forum (starting with Nova Members).

Your choice of either a colored drawing of your monster by me, or a custom LEGO minifig of a male or female monster hunter from Wulfgard's elite Venatori (both seen below)! Or, alternatively, any other minifig from the Fantasy section of the shop.

The second place winner will receive a silver medal icon on SSLF, a discount code for my shop (which will include special Wulfgard decals), and a sketch of their monster by me!

The third place winner will receive a bronze medal icon on SSLF and a discount code for my shop (which will include special Wulfgard decals)!

ALL other participants*, regardless of the contest results, will also be eligible for a small discount code!

*the administrators reserve the right to exclude zero-effort or joke entries at their discretion.

Yes, Selene exists in Wulfgard. Most mythological figures exist in Wulfgard, with few exceptions, though it certainly doesn't hurt to ask.

I don't know what you mean about the language thing though.

Also, I should go ahead and post a warning for anyone considering something related to Werewolves: While I said that you don't need to adhere super-closely to Wulfgard lore in this contest, werewolves are the exception to that rule. Wolfy is very particular about our werewolves, moreso than other monsters, so while you may gain her favor for doing something related to them, you would do best to ask a lot of questions to ensure you don't get something wrong. Because if you do...

So it's perfectly fine to create a singular monster instead of a race of them I assume? I've got a particularly fascinating idea involving a Dwarf and a Beetle.

Yes, you can create an individual monster character like Gruzbak the Destroyer, Beetle Lord of Coleopteris. Or you can create a new monster race, or just a new tribe/culture of an existing monster race.

Though I should note that dwarves don't count as monsters unless they're undead or mutated in some way...

Are the Norse Deities in Wulfgard? One of my monster ideas is relates to the Norse myths.

Definitely. Basically, if you've ever played Age of Mythology, those are our main pantheons: Greek/Roman, Norse, and Egyptian... with a bit of Zoroastrianism on the side, and some other minor deities floating around.

Out of curiosity, how do you two feel about Celtic monsters? I'm using a lot of Gaelic influences in my project and wanted to check, stuff like the ban sidhe, Dearg Due, the Dullahan, and other Irish demons.

While it's logical to fall back on classical mythology about most creatures, it'd be a better idea to hop on over to the Wulfgard Q&A topic and post any specific questions you might have regarding the creature in question, and we'll answer them straight away.

If, for some reason, you don't want to publicly post your questions, you can also PM them to me. Scorp and I will still be answering them together, as we consult each other all the time.

Description: A chimera created in the lab of the sorcerer Franke the Foul-Minded, The Wolf Spider is a beast about the size of a small horse (or a large pony), with a predominantly (and very hairy) arachnid body. With four large legs which are mostly used for surface adhesion, and four smaller more wolf like legs for actual mobility.The front of the cephalothorax has two chelicerae used to inject venom into victims while the wolf maw holds them in place. Its vision is fair, but is sensitive to sunlight, relying more on it's hearing and smell for hunting in daylight.The abdomen has spinnerets which help produce silk, which is used around the creature's burrow in the forest. Its diet consists mainly of deer and other forest creature, and the occasional villager.

These new custom minifigs are based on Wulfgard's elite monster hunters, the Venatori. Armed with silver blades and potions to cure monstrous ailments and enhance their strength, they use their tools and their wits to take down creatures much larger, stronger, and faster than themselves. Their only standard piece of uniform is a ceremonial dark blue cloak fastened with a silver arrowhead brooch, which is the symbol of their order.

The grand prize winner will get their choice of either one of these minifigs (male or female), or any of the other Fantasy minifigs in the shop, or a colored drawing of their monster by me (similar to this one of Sturmkrag)!

In the depths of mountains lost, lies a creature never to be crossed. Its tendril hide is a visage that no living creature can abide. While some have claimed to have glimpsed the horrid creature, none but a preacher lived to tell us this horrible feature.

"Three glaring eyes with three horrid pupils, four writhing tentacles brutal and slippery, the face of no man or woman, smiling with red eyes straight through our human lives. The roundness of its shape filled the room and blocked all sight like a cape over a light. On its body is a ring of spikes, each glimmering with painful delight. The gold-copper color of the creature's torment sizzled and sparked like a storm night. The gods or men trapped this beast in a cage of its own like, and mounted it upon a spike. The creature can not move, lest it be burned and piked. Upon our seeing of this monster, three of our men fell dead. Myself and another managed to escape, though only I with my mind. My dearest squire fell to madness, and I carried his screaming body back to the light. Never shall I forget what I saw that day, or the creature we crossed, in the depths of mountains long lost."

Spoiler

Original sketch:

~~~

Obviously inspired by Lovecraft, I sketched this monstrosity a few weeks ago. I figured I would color it and add a backstory (of sorts) for the contest. The appearance was also inspired my Executioner Smough from Dark Souls. Didn't come up with a name I was happy with, but if I had to pick one it would be something like Trioculies. I forgot to draw a scale, but basically from the foot of the spike to the top of the "cage" is about 50 feet. Roughly this size: